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Friday, September 16, 2016

Ukraine is going to transform Chernobyl nuclear wasteland into huge solar power farm

According to the Ukrainian government, the contaminated nuclear wasteland around Chernobyl could be turned into one of the world’s largest solar farms, producing nearly a third of the electricity that the exploded plant generated at its height 30 years ago. 6,000 hectares of “idle” land in Chernobyl’s 1,000 square mile exclusion zone, which is considered too dangerous for people to live in or farm, could be turned to solar, bio-gas and heat and power generation. The Ukrainian government said more than 1,000 MW of solar and 400 MW of other renewable energy could be generated. The nuclear plant had an installed capacity of around 4,000 MW. Chernobyl exclusion zone already has high-voltage transmission lines that were previously used for the nuclear station, the land is very cheap and there are many professionals trained to work at power plants.
Having solar resources better than Germany’s, which has almost 39 GW of panels installed, Ukraine is increasing its focus on renewables. The government’s initial 1 GW solar target could cost about 1 billion euros. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has indicated it would be prepared to lend money for the renewable energy plant. Ukraine’s environment minister said the government also was negotiating with two US investment firms and four Canadian energy companies, which have expressed interest in the Chernobyl’s solar potential